Nashville, TN – The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security today announced a reminder that the Tennessee Highway Patrol will be out in force during the Christmas Holiday period to ensure travelers reach their destination safely.

Tennessee State Troopers will focus their attention on impaired driving and seat belt usage during the holiday, beginning at 12:01am on Friday, December 21st and ending at midnight on Tuesday, December 25th.

Tennessee Highway Patrolman on a traffic stop.

“The focus of this effort is to save lives,” Commissioner Bill Gibbons said. “I urge all Tennesseans and travelers passing through our state to obey the laws designed to keep them safe, through the holidays and whenever they get behind the wheel.”

During the 2011 Christmas holiday, nine people were killed on Tennessee roadways in six fatal crashes. Alcohol was involved in 66 percent of those crashes and four of the eight vehicle occupants killed were not wearing seat belts. There was also one pedestrian killed during the 96-hour holiday period.

“Unfortunately, impaired driving is a year-round problem. It becomes especially serious during the holidays as more people are traveling to and from parties and special gatherings,” THP Colonel Tracy Trott said. “Our goal is remove offenders from the roadways and protect the motoring public. We want this joyous time to be safe for everyone, and all of our traffic safety enforcement efforts are created with that goal in mind,” he added.

The holiday season is one of the deadliest and most dangerous times of the year due to an increase in impaired driving. The THP will utilize several enforcement tools, including saturation patrols, bar and tavern checks, and driver license and sobriety checkpoints to help reduce serious injury and fatal crashes over the holiday.

Designating a sober driver and not letting friends drive drunk are just two of the several simple steps to help avoid a tragic crash or an arrest for impaired driving.

Other Important Tips Include

If you’re impaired, call a taxi, use mass transit or call a sober friend or family member to get you home safely;

Promptly report drunk drivers you see on the roadways to the Tennessee Highway Patrol by dialing *THP;

Wearing your seat belt or using protective gear on your motorcycle is your best defense against an impaired driver;

And remember, Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk. If you know someone who is about to drive or ride while impaired, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to get to where they are going safely.

Christmas Holiday Historical Information

In Tennessee, there were six fatal crashes resulting in nine deaths, yielding a fatality rate of one death every 10 hours and 40 minutes.

Four crashes were single vehicle crashes; two were multiple vehicle crashes.

Six of the fatalities (66.7%) occurred in alcohol-related crashes.

Eight of the nine fatalities were vehicle occupants.

Four of the eight (50%) were not wearing safety restraints.

No child passengers were killed.

One pedestrian was killed.

Highest Deaths

In 1969, 22 people were killed in Tennessee traffic crashes during the 30-hour Christmas holiday period, yielding a fatality rate of one death per 1.4 hours.

Lowest Deaths

In 1963, one person was killed in Tennessee traffic crashes during the 30-hour

About the Tennessee Department of Safety

The Tennessee Department of Safety’s mission is (www.TN.Gov/safety) to ensure the safety and general welfare of the public. The department encompasses the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Office of Homeland Security and Driver License Services. General areas of responsibility include law enforcement, safety education, motorist services and terrorism prevention.